This invention relates to a programmable flow control valve unit and more particularly to a programmable flow control valve unit for controlling fluid flow through a system, and to control use of a fluid with respect to time. This valve unit is especially useful with a system such as a lawn sprinkler system, an irrigation system, or a domestic animal watering system.
Fluid flow control is an essential part of modern society. Fluids include gas and liquid, and may even include a slurry. A slurry is a liquid with particles dispersed therein, which permits the particles to be moved like a liquid. In fact, a slurry may be pumped through pipes to transport the particles therein efficiently and quickly.
A valve is used to direct a fluid through a pipe to desired location. It is advantageous to control the operation of a valve efficiently. Such control of a valve results in control of the fluid flow. By thus controlling fluid flow, great advantages can be obtained. There are, however, many problems with controlling a fluid flow. Additionally, a solution to one problem may magnify another problem.
The best known, most useful, most essential, and most ubiquitous liquid is water. Water is an essential element of the life process for both animals and plants. In many situations, water is not available at all times in the quantities needed. It is thus desired to provide the water in the needed amount at the needed time. This supply of water is used for lawns, farm irrigation, animal watering, or other suitable pruposes.
Such a water supply can be controlled manually. This involves having a network set up with valves to control the distribution of water to a watering system. The watering system usually includes an extensive network of pipes to carry the water and sprinkler heads to dispense the water. Such an apparatus requires a tremendous amount of manpower to achieve control thereof. Timed valves are known to reduce this manpower requirement. Typical of valve units for this purpose is the valve unit disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,473,695 to Mario Anesi. Such a liquid metering valve unit serves a great purpose.
In particular, homeowners in the desert Southwest area of the United States of America are generally required to water their lawns at frequent intervals in order to achieve the desired appearance for their lawn. Such watering procedures are best controlled by a timed watering system, which minimizes manual control of the watering, and guarantees that a proper amount of water can be applied at a proper time.
Valves known in the prior art are basically mechanical and require adjustments to achieve the desired watering times. If these adjustments can be simplified, it becomes possible to provide a more effective and more efficient valve. With this more effective and more efficient valve, the results of having the water flow set for the watering process are more easily achieved. If the valve is designed simply an economically enough with an appropriate control, such a valve may even be used to control a water system as simple as a hose and a lawn sprinkler.
A timing device in conjunction with a valve control can provide a great benefit for those people requiring that the application of water be controlled very efficiently. The timing device must cooperate with the valve so that the valve functions efficiently. The device must be sensitive to measurement of water by time of application.
The time for the valve to function to permit water flow must be adjustable to various conditions and easily set. Functions must be repeatable and easily encoded into the program of the valve. Also, a particular series of functions must be repeatable in a simple fashion in order to simplify the programming of the valve system. In this manner, the desired results may be achieved.
It is especially useful if a programmable flow control valve unit can be made simply and compactly. If the valve is simply made, it can be produced inexpensively and provide great benefit. If the valve is compact, it can easily be moved from one place to another and easily handled by the person using the valve.
It is also very suitable to have the flow control valve unit to be self-contained. If the flow control valve unit is self-contained, no additional equipment is used to achieve the desired valve functions. An additional advantage of being self-contained can be achieved by having the unit be battery operated and draw a low amount of current. If this is done, the necessity of working with electrical wiring can be avoided.
Of course, it is desirable for a flow control valve unit to have an accurate timing mechanism in order to insure the accuracy of the programmability. If the time control unit is inaccurate, the programmability is off and the desired amount of fluid cannot be applied at the desired time.
Especially critical for the flow control valve unit is that it be waterproof or water resistant. If the programmable flow control valve unit is waterproof or water resistant, it can be used with irrigation, watering of domestic animals, and other appropriate water application mechanisms.
As always, simplified inspection of a programmable flow control valve unit during production or use provides a great advantage. If the product can be inspected without substantial disassembly, great time savings and costs savings are achieved.
It is also desirable for the programmable aspects of the programmable flow control valve to be useful. Especially useful are a repeat mode, a program mode, a manual mode, and some means of indicating in which mode the unit is operating. If the unit can be switched from one mode to another during the course of use, in a simple fashion, great advantages are additionally obtained.
Since it is contemplated to use a programmable flow control valve unit in adverse conditions, it is especially useful to hermetically seal the device to keep the foreign substances out. Hermetic sealing is counter productive to a device of this type. Hermetic sealing can interfere with the desired function of the programmable flow control valve unit. Yet hermetic sealing is necessary for the function of the valve unit in the desired environment.
It is also useful if the programmable flow control valve can be portable and readily moved from place to place. Such movement permits very effective use of the valve. When this is combined with inexpensive manufacturing costs, a great advantage is obtained. One requirement of the easily moved device is that it must be installed easily and quickly without requiring special skill or special tools. Yet the wide variety of functions required of a flow control valve mitigates against simplicity.
Safety is another critical factor. Not only must the device be safe to operate, it must also be safe to install. Again, the complicated requirements for the device mitigate against such safety. It is also desirable to have a device which is versatile. With versatility, a repeat mode can be set easily. However, no device is known to have the repeating mode and the setup versatility.
Also, a variation in a mode can be required prior to being repeated. If the mode is desired to be varied and repeated, substantial structure is required. If the structure is used, the simplicity and ease of transport becomes nullified. Thus, it becomes clear that the many requirements of a programmable flow control valve are contraindicated. If one factor is amplified, another desirable factor must be reduced.
It thus becomes clear that a flexible, simply-operated device is of great use in the field of fluid flow control. This device must be reliable, easily programmed and durable. It must also be easy to install and use. As no such device is currently available, it is clearly desirable to produce such a device.